Monitoring a building management system

ABSTRACT

Devices, methods, and systems for monitoring a building management system are described herein. One method includes monitoring an attribute of a building, monitoring an activity related to the attribute performed by an operator, and publishing the activity performed by the operator and the attribute of the building.

PRIORITY INFORMATION

This application is a Continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.14/447,854, filed Jul. 31, 2014, the contents of which are incorporatedherein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to devices, methods, and systems formonitoring a building management system.

BACKGROUND

Building information modeling (BIM) can refer to the generation and/ormanagement of data associated with a building (e.g., data associatedwith the components, equipment, and/or properties of the building). Forexample, BIM data can include architectural, mechanical, electrical,plumbing, sanitary, fire, and/or geometrical information associated witha building.

BIM data associated with a building can be used to generate a userinterface for a building management system for the building, which canbe displayed to a user (e.g., operator) and used to monitor and/orcontrol the building. For example, the user (e.g., operator) of abuilding management system can check and/or set the state of a controlcomponent(s), equipment, device(s), network (s) area(s), and/or space(s)of the building using the user interface of the building managementsystem. The user interface with multiple views can include, for example,the floor plan of the building, with additional information about thebuilding (e.g., information about a device(s) of the building,information about a control network(s) of the building, schematicgraphics of the building, etc.) overlaid on the floor plan. The buildingmanagement system (e.g., the user interface displayed to the operator)can be two or three dimensional.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a system for monitoring a building management systemin accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 illustrates a display for monitoring a building management systemin accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 illustrates a display for monitoring a building management systemin accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 illustrates a computing device for monitoring a buildingmanagement system in accordance with one or more embodiments of thepresent disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Devices, methods, and systems for monitoring a building managementsystem (BMS) and operator activities are described herein. For example,one or more embodiments include monitoring an attribute of a building,monitoring an activity related to the attribute performed by anoperator, and publishing the activity performed by the operator and theattribute of the building.

Embodiments of the present disclosure can decrease the amount of timeand/or computing resources needed to monitor and analyze a large amountof BMS data. Further, aggregation of BMS data and operator activity datagenerated in accordance with the present disclosure can be lesscluttered and/or interact more efficiently with the user and/or operatorof the BMS than building management systems generated in accordance withprevious approaches. Further, monitoring of the BMS and operatoractivity of the BMS in accordance with the present disclosure canquickly and effectively respond to real time changes in the status ofthe building, real-time operator activity, and/or the equipment therein.

In the following detailed description, reference is made to theaccompanying drawings that form a part hereof. The drawings show by wayof illustration how one or more embodiments of the disclosure may bepracticed.

These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those ofordinary skill in the art to practice one or more embodiments of thisdisclosure. It is to be understood that other embodiments may beutilized and that process, electrical, and/or structural changes may bemade without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

The figures herein follow a numbering convention in which the firstdigit or digits correspond to the drawing figure number and theremaining digits identify an element or component in the drawing.Similar elements or components between different figures may beidentified by the use of similar digits.

As will be appreciated, elements shown in the various embodiments hereincan be added, exchanged, combined, and/or eliminated so as to provide anumber of additional embodiments of the present disclosure. Theproportion and the relative scale of the elements provided in thefigures are intended to illustrate the embodiments of the presentdisclosure, and should not be taken in a limiting sense.

As used herein, “a” or “a number of” something can refer to one or moresuch things. For example, “a number of buildings” can refer to one ormore buildings.

FIG. 1 illustrates a system 101 for monitoring a building managementsystem (e.g., a system used to control a building) in accordance withone or more embodiments of the present disclosure. Monitoring thebuilding management system can include, for example, collecting,analyzing, and/or displaying characteristics and/or attributes of thebuilding.

The system 101 can use a computing device, such as, for instance, alaptop computer, a desktop computer, or a mobile device (e.g., a mobilephone, a smart phone, a personal digital assistant, etc.), among othertypes of computing devices, to monitor the building management system.For example, the system 101 can include the computing device 440described in connection with FIG. 4.

A building management system (BMS) can generate a large number of eventsto monitor, store, and/or analyze. As shown in FIG. 1, the system 101can include data 111 related to a number of alarms that are triggered byan event(s). The data can be stored in a database (not shown in FIG. 1).

An alarm and/or event can be related to an attribute of the BMS. Forexample, an attribute can include temperature, humidity, accessibility,sensor status, etc. The attribute can indicate a particular status ofthe BMS at a particular location of the BMS. For example, the attributecan include an alarm indicating an event associated with the building.The alarms (and/or events) can include heating/cooling/air conditioning(HVAC) alarms, video alarms, access alarms, fire system alarms,sub-system alarms, etc. For example, a threshold temperature can be setand an alarm can signal that the temperature has reached the threshold(e.g., lowered to a lower temperature or increased to a highertemperature). As an additional example, the attribute can include anindication of an energy usage increase in the building.

In some embodiments, a video monitoring a location can activate an alarmwhen motion is detected. An access alarm can indicate when a user (e.g.,a visitor, an employee, etc.) has entered a particular room and/orbuilding. A fire system alarm can indicate the occurrence of a fire inthe building. A sub-system alarm can indicate an event that has occurredin a sub-system of the building management system.

As shown in FIG. 1, the system 101 can include data 113 related tooperator activity. The operator activity can include an indication ofwhen, during a period of time, an action by the operator occurred.Operator activity can include a message and/or comments entered into theBMS by an operator and an indication of what the message relates to(e.g., a message about a fire alarm in a sector of the building).Operator activity can include an indication by the operator that theoperator has acknowledged an alarm. Operator activity can includecreation of a report in relation to an event and/or an alarm. Operatoractivity can include changes to a configuration of the building (e.g.,changes to allowed access by visitors, changes to access of employees,changes to temperature configurations, etc.).

As shown in FIG. 1, the system 101 can include data 115 related to astatus of the BMS. A status can include an indication of a status of aparticular location in the BMS, a sensor of the BMS, and/or a devicestatus of the BMS. A status can include a sub-system status. A statuscan include an operator status. For example, an operator status caninclude that the operator is monitoring the BMS data. The operatorstatus can include that the operator has verified a particular BMS eventand/or action.

As shown in FIG. 1, the system 101 can include data 117 related tosystem activity. System activity can include a number of scheduled tasksof the system. For example, a temperature and/or humidity check can beperformed by the system (e.g., the BMS). System activity can includesending a message about an alert (e.g., by electronic mail, voicemail,text messaging, etc.). System activity can include reporting particularcalculations and/or determinations of the system.

System activity can include control operations such as operations tocontrol attributes and/or events of the system. For example, a controloperation can include controlling a temperature of a zone of the BMS. Acontrol operation can include controlling access by a user to aparticular physical location in the BMS. System activity can includecommunication with integrated systems within the BMS. For example, anHVAC system can communicate with a user access system to coordinateparticular environment (e.g., temperature, etc.) preferences by a useraccessing the system. System activity can include actions based on aneed of a sub-system. For example, a sub-system can request a particularaction of the system and the system can respond by performing therequested action.

BMS system data 121 illustrated in FIG. 1 can be an aggregation of thealarm and/or event data 111, the operator activity data 113, the statusdata 115, and the system activity data 117 that is communicated to acentral location, such as a cloud (e.g., a cloud computing environment)and/or the internet 123. The stored BMS system data 121 can be analyzedat the cloud/internet location 123. The BMS system data 121 (comprisingthe system and operator activities) can be stored, monitored, andanalyzed. For example, an attribute of the building, and the activityrelated to the attribute performed by the operator, can be stored,monitored, and analyzed. The attribute, the activity related to theattribute, and the analysis can then be published, for example, on atimeline, as will be further described herein. For instance, thepublished attribute and related activity may correspond to a past timeperiod, a present time period, and/or a future time period. If thepublished attribute and related activity correspond to a future timeperiod, the activity may be an activity expected to be performed by theoperator during the future time period, and the building may be expectedto demonstrate the attribute during the future time period.

The analysis can be based on activities performed by the system and/orthe operator (e.g., the operator activity data 113 and the systemactivity data 117). For example, BMS data related to the buildingmanagement system and the operator activities can be analyzed based onan indication of an alarm in the building, an operator status, aprevious operator activity, and a system activity. System activity caninclude a system behavior, a system trend, and a system response. Theanalysis of the BMS data and the operator activities can includedetermining a change in at least one of the indications. For example,the system activity and/or behavior can change based on an alarm turningoff.

As an additional example, the analysis can be based on a deviation ofthe BMS data 121 from previously stored historical data. The analysiscan be based on a trend and/or pattern of the BMS data 121. The analysiscan be based on a criticality of the BMS data 121.

As an additional example, the analysis can include determining which ofthe operator activities were in response to which BMS data 121, and/ordetermining whether further operator activity is requested.

In some embodiments, the analysis can include filtering the BMS data 121to determine what is most important to the BMS system. The filteringanalysis can be based on a criticality and a process relationship of theBMS data 121. A criticality can define an importance of an attribute.For example, an activated fire alarm may be given a higher criticalitythan a humidity fluctuation. The process relationship of the BMS data121 can include a relationship of at least one attribute to anotherattribute in the BMS data 121. The process relationship can organizeinformation and determine shared vocabulary and meanings for terms withrespect to other terms.

For example, a fire alarm can have a process relationship with an HVACsystem. When a fire is indicated in a location, the HVAC dampers in thelocation will be closed. Organizing information related to the fire anddefining similar terms allows the two systems to work together to solvethe problem of the fire. Another example includes a process relationshipwith an access system and lighting. When a user enters a particularlocation, the lights in the particular location can be turned on. Thecriticality and process relationship of the BMS data 121 is used tofilter the BMS data 121 in order to be displayed on a BMS timeline panel125 illustrated in FIG. 1. However, the BMS data 121 can be displayed ona BMS timeline panel 125 as autoposts, information, actions, warnings,recommendations, etc. That is, the BMS data 121 can be displayed withand/or without particular analysis. In addition, the BMS data 121 can befiltered using criticality and/or process relationships to determinewhich data to publish. For example, data can be published with a highercriticality and/or with more process relationships.

The BMS timeline panel 125 can be a real-time display of events andactions of the system and an operator (and/or operators). The BMSTimeline Panel 125 can illustrate past, present, and future recommendedactions.

For example, the BMS timeline panel 125 can include data related to pastactions that caused a fire. A present fire alarm can be displayed toindicate where the fire is located and what sectors are affected. TheBMS timeline panel 125 can indicate recommended action to extinguish thefire and prevent further damage. Examples of the BMS timeline panel 125are illustrated in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3.

FIG. 2 illustrates a display (e.g., graphical display) 203 formonitoring a building management system in accordance with one or moreembodiments of the present disclosure. Graphical display 203 can beprovided (e.g., displayed, published, and/or presented) to a user of acomputing device, such as computing device 440 described in connectionwith FIG. 4. The graphical display 203 can be displayed (e.g.,displayed, published, and/or presented) in an internet browser of acomputing device (e.g., computing device 440). However, embodiments areno so limited.

The display 203 is an example of a timeline panel (e.g., BMS timelinepanel 125 in FIG. 1). As shown in FIG. 2, the graphical display 203 caninclude a first set of icons related to information input from the BMSsystem data and activities. The icons related to BMS system data andactivities are related to alarms 211 (corresponding to alarm/events data111 in FIG. 1), status 215 (corresponding to status data 115 in FIG. 1),operator activity 213 (corresponding to operator activity data 113 inFIG. 1), and system activity 217 (corresponding to system activity data117 in FIG. 1).

As shown in FIG. 2, the display 203 can include a second set of iconsthat refer to analyzed data of the BMS system. The icons of the analyzeddata include data 231, warnings 233, actions 235, recommendations 237,and help 239. The data related to the second set of icons can be used todetermine a course of action based on collected and analyzed datarelated to the first set of icons. Each icon can be selected in thetimeline panel 203 and used to access the information related to thaticon. For example, by selecting the alarms icon 211, the user can accessalarms that were triggered in the BMS system. By selecting the statusicon 215, the user can access a display of a number of statuses of theBMS system.

As shown in FIG. 2, the BMS timeline panel 203 can include a number ofdisplayed illustrations of the BMS data (e.g., readouts of the data). Adisplay (e.g., a published post) on the BMS timeline panel 203 caninclude a video clip (if the published post includes a video clip), animage, text, audio, link to configuration page, chart, etc. depending onthe context of the event and/or alarm.

In the example illustrated in FIG. 2, timeline panel 203 includes awarning display 241 that details a temperature warning. The warning text243 indicates that a temperature sensor of a basement entrance raised 10alarms in the last hour. The warning display 241 can include a locationmap 245 that indicates where the temperature sensor raised the alarms.The warning display 241 indicates, at 247, to call Mike at 987654321 forfurther information and/or to resolve the temperature issue.

In the example illustrated in FIG. 2, timeline panel 203 includes awarning display 251 that details an alarm count warning. The alarm counttext 253 indicates that an average daily alarm count is between 30 and40 but that an alarm count of the current day has reached over 70. Thealarm count graph 255 illustrates the number of alarm counts for thatday. The alarm count device and/or point indicator 257 indicatesdesignated points (e.g., point 1093 and point 450) or devices (e.g.,camera87 and recorder07).

In the example illustrated in FIG. 2, timeline panel 203 includes adamper display 261 that details a damper that is not working. Thebuilding diagram 262 illustrates a location of the damper that is notworking.

In the example, illustrated in FIG. 2, The BMS timeline panel 203includes a timeline 263 that indicates time intervals during aparticular day that can be selected to view the events and/or alarms forthat day at that timepoint on the timeline. The time 14:00 265 isdesignated as the beginning of the timeline in the example. Thebeginning and end of the timeline 263 can be adjusted using arrows atthe left and the right of the timeline 263. The BMS timeline panel 203can include a calendar and a timeline controller (e.g., to controltimeline 263) to see activities in real-time, in a playback mode. Thevideo playback controls can include play, pause, play forward, playbackward, fast-forward, fast rewind, jump (e.g., jump 15 minutes fromcurrent time), frame by frame (activity by activity), etc.

FIG. 3 illustrates a display 305 for monitoring a building managementsystem in accordance with one or more embodiments of the presentdisclosure. Graphical display 305 can be provided (e.g., displayedand/or presented) to a user of a computing device, such as computingdevice 440 described in connection with FIG. 4, in a manner analogous tothat previously described herein in connection with graphical display203.

The display 305 is an example of a timeline panel (e.g., BMS timelinepanel 125 in FIG. 1). As shown in FIG. 2, the graphical display 305 caninclude a first set of icons related to information input from the BMSsystem data and activities. The icons related to BMS system data andactivities are related to alarms 311 (corresponding to alarm/events data111 in FIG. 1), status 315 (corresponding to status data 115 in FIG. 1),operator activity 313 (corresponding to operator activity data 113 inFIG. 1), and system activity 317 (corresponding to system activity data117 in FIG. 1).

As shown in FIG. 3, the display 305 can include a second set of iconsthat refer to analyzed data of the BMS system. The icons of the analyzeddata include data 331, warnings 333, actions 335, recommendations 337,and help 339. The data related to the second set of icons can be used todetermine a course of action based on collected and analyzed datarelated to the first set of icons. Each icon can be selected in thetimeline panel 305 and used to access the information related to thaticon. For example, by selecting the alarms icon 311, the user can accessalarms that were triggered in the BMS system. By selecting the statusicon 315, the user can access a display of a number of statuses of theBMS system.

In the example illustrated in FIG. 3, timeline panel 305 includes a dataevent 371 that can include an indication of a fire sub-system that has afire incident. The first incident is at Tower 1 of Floor 3. The firelocation and status map 373 illustrates where the fire is located andthe status of the fire at that location. For example, data of the BMSsystem can include a location related to the data so that the eventand/or alarm can be located in the BMS system. The entry/exit display375 indicates which doors are opened and closed. For example, theentry/exit display indicates that Door F3D003 is closed. The videodisplay 377 is a video recording of the fire at Tower 1 Floor 3. TheHVAC status display 379 indicates the status of the HVAC system at aparticular time period. Data from the displays of the fire location andstatus map 373, entry/exit 375, video 377, and HVAC status 379 can beanalyzed together to determine a recommended action (e.g.,recommendations 337) based on the status of the fire, the location ofthe fire, which doors are opened or closed, and how the internal system(e.g., HVAC temperature, etc.) is affected by the fire.

In the example illustrated in FIG. 3, timeline panel 305 includes atimeline 363 that can be used to move to a previous, current, and/orfuture (e.g., recommended actions) time period to display the eventsand/or alarms, actions taken (e.g., of the operator and/or BMS system),and status of the BMS system. The timeline 363 can be used to predict anattribute of the building that corresponds to a future time period. Thebuilding can be expected to demonstrate the attribute during the futuretime period. A display of an attribute of the BMS system can include asystem behavior, a system trend, and a system response. The systembehavior, trend, and/or response can be used to predict future behaviorof the BMS system.

In the example illustrated in FIG. 3, timeline panel 305 includes adisplay 381 that illustrates an interaction between the number of cardsissued (e.g., identification cards for users) and energy consumption.The card management display 383 illustrates that 100 new employees havebeen enrolled that day. The energy display 385 illustrates that theenergy consumption can be expected to increase with an increase in thenumber of new employees.

In some embodiments, the display (such as displays 203 and 305) caninclude a display to illustrate actions already taken by an operator inresponse to an alarm and/or event. The display can include operatorcomments along with the actions taken. The display can include anillustration of what the operator was monitoring at a particular time orduring a particular time period. The display can include a trend of thealarms and or warnings. The display can illustrate which devices aretriggering more alarms. The display can illustrate when a new operatoris expected to begin monitoring a particular station. The display canillustrate details about an operation (e.g., identification, training,etc.), when the operator logged on for her shift, when the operatorlogged off, etc.

The BMS system can be monitored for a plurality of attributes of the BMS(e.g., temperature, access, humidity, etc.), and the plurality ofoperator activities in response to the attributes can be monitored anddisplayed, as previously described herein. A determination of whichoperator activities affects which attributes of the BMS can beperformed. Analysis of the plurality of attributes and the plurality ofoperator activities can include correlating chronologically on thetimeline the plurality of attributes and the plurality of operatoractivities. The analysis can determine how the plurality of operatoractivities changes the plurality of attributes of the BMS. The activityof the operator can result in the BMS timeline panel indicating at anaction to take, a warning, and/or a recommendation that corresponds tothe activity of the operator and the attribute of the building. Forexample, if a door near a fire has been closed but the fire gets largeras a result, the recommendation can include opening that door andclosing a nearby door to limit airflow in a different way and extinguishthe fire. The recommendation can be based on the activity of theoperator. For example, the recommendation can be based on a deviation ofan attribute of the building from a pattern and/or the activity of theoperator from a pattern. The attributes, operator activities, andindications can be published in the BMS timeline panel.

The data published on the BMS Timeline panel can be sent by the operatorto another operator, to another user, etc. An operator can maintain hisown panel for his own reference and reporting. The information on thepanel can be stored in a web/data/cloud server for future recovery(e.g., in the case of a failure, digital crash, etc.). Context specificinformation can be loaded for any selected published display (e.g.,video, image, text, audio, charts, graphs, link to configuration page,etc.). Activities related to a particular operator can be published on adisplay for that particular operator so that the operator can reactquickly and efficiently. The operator can bookmark an activity in thetimeline and add comments for future reference. The operator can selecta particular time period of the timeline and export as a video clipand/or other related data for that time period. In this way, thehigh-level data (interconnected and interrelated data from multiplesources) and the low-level data (basic information for each location,sub-sector, attribute, etc.) history of BMS incidents and systemactivities can be published in a single panel for review by the operatorand/or other maintenance personnel.

FIG. 4 illustrates a computing device 440 for monitoring a buildingmanagement system in accordance with one or more embodiments of thepresent disclosure. Computing device 440 can be, for example, a laptopcomputer, a desktop computer, or a mobile device (e.g., a smart phone, atablet, a personal digital assistant, etc.), among other types ofcomputing devices.

As shown in FIG. 4, computing device 440 can include a memory 442 and aprocessor 444 coupled to memory 442. Memory 442 can be any type ofstorage medium that can be accessed by processor 444 to perform variousexamples of the present disclosure. For example, memory 442 can be anon-transitory computer readable medium having computer readableinstructions (e.g., computer program instructions) stored thereon thatare executable by processor 444 to monitor a building management systemin accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

Memory 442 can be volatile or nonvolatile memory. Memory 442 can also beremovable (e.g., portable) memory, or non-removable (e.g., internal)memory. For example, memory 442 can be random access memory (RAM) (e.g.,dynamic random access memory (DRAM) and/or phase change random accessmemory (PCRAM)), read-only memory (ROM) (e.g., electrically erasableprogrammable read-only memory (EEPROM) and/or compact-disc read-onlymemory (CD-ROM)), flash memory, a laser disc, a digital versatile disc(DVD) or other optical disk storage, and/or a magnetic medium such asmagnetic cassettes, tapes, or disks, among other types of memory.

Further, although memory 442 is illustrated as being located incomputing device 440, embodiments of the present disclosure are not solimited. For example, memory 442 can also be located internal to anothercomputing resource (e.g., enabling computer readable instructions to bedownloaded over the Internet or another wired or wireless connection).

As shown in FIG. 4, computing device 440 can also include a userinterface 446. User interface 446 can include, for example, a display(e.g., a screen). The display can be, for instance, a touch-screen(e.g., the display can include touch-screen capabilities). Userinterface 446 (e.g., the display of user interface 446) can provide(e.g., display and/or present) information to a user of computing device440. For example, user interface 446 can provide a display (e.g.,display 203 in FIG. 2 and/or 305 in FIG. 3) which displays attributes ofa building, operator activities in relation to the attributes, and/or atimeline panel to indicate chronology of events, actions,recommendations, etc. In some embodiments, the display can allow forproviding general information about a building and/or particular (e.g.,specific) information about the building. For example, a high-level mapof buildings of an entire campus location can be displayed. In anotherexample, a particular room of a building can be displayed. Icons (e.g.,icons 211, 213, 215, 217, 231, 233, 235, 237, and 239 in FIG. 2) canprovide an ability to select more general or more particularinformation.

The user of computing device 440 can be, for example, an operationsand/or domain analyst of the building. However, embodiments of thepresent disclosure are not so limited. For example, the user can be anyperson and/or entity responsible for diagnosing, fixing, and/orresolving problems (e.g., faults and/or abnormalities) associated withthe building, and/or to any person and/or entity responsible fordiagnosing and/or improving poor performance (e.g., poor performancefactors) of the building. Further, the user and computing device 440 maybe co-located (e.g., the user and computing device may both be locatedin the building), or the user and computing device 440 may not beco-located (e.g., the user may remote into computing device 440 via anetwork).

Additionally, computing device 440 can receive information from the userof computing device 440 through an interaction with the user via userinterface 446. For example, computing device 440 can receive input fromthe user, such as a selection of one of the number of actions to take inresponse to the program associated with the particular component, aspreviously described herein. The user can enter the input into computingdevice 440 using, for instance, a mouse and/or keyboard, or otherperipheral, associated with computing device 440 (e.g., user interface446), or by touching user interface 446 in embodiments in which userinterface 446 includes a touch-screen.

As used herein, a “network” can provide a communication system thatdirectly or indirectly links two or more computers and/or peripheraldevices and allows users to access resources on other computing devicesand exchange messages with other users. A network can allow users toshare resources on their own systems with other network users and toaccess information on centrally located systems or on systems that arelocated at remote locations.

A network may provide connections to the Internet and/or to the networksof other entities (e.g., organizations, institutions, etc.). Users mayinteract with network-enabled software applications to make a networkrequest, such as to get a file or print on a network printer.Applications may also communicate with network management software,which can interact with network hardware to transmit information betweendevices on the network.

Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and describedherein, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that anyarrangement calculated to achieve the same techniques can be substitutedfor the specific embodiments shown. This disclosure is intended to coverany and all adaptations or variations of various embodiments of thedisclosure.

It is to be understood that the above description has been made in anillustrative fashion, and not a restrictive one. Combination of theabove embodiments, and other embodiments not specifically describedherein will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reviewing theabove description.

The scope of the various embodiments of the disclosure includes anyother applications in which the above structures and methods are used.Therefore, the scope of various embodiments of the disclosure should bedetermined with reference to the appended claims, along with the fullrange of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.

In the foregoing Detailed Description, various features are groupedtogether in example embodiments illustrated in the figures for thepurpose of streamlining the disclosure. This method of disclosure is notto be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the embodiments of thedisclosure require more features than are expressly recited in eachclaim.

Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive subject matter liesin less than all features of a single disclosed embodiment. Thus, thefollowing claims are hereby incorporated into the Detailed Description,with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment.

What is claimed:
 1. A method for monitoring a building managementsystem, comprising: monitoring an attribute of a building; monitoring anoperator activity related to the attribute performed by an operator;analyzing how the operator activity is related to the attribute; andpublishing the operator activity, the analysis, and the attribute of thebuilding.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the attribute of thebuilding comprises an alarm indicating an event associated with thebuilding.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the attribute of thebuilding comprises an occurrence of a fire in the building.
 4. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the attribute of the building comprises anindication of an energy usage increase in the building.
 5. The method ofclaim 1, wherein publishing the activity performed by the operator, theanalysis, and the attribute of the building includes displaying theactivity, the analysis, and the attribute on a timeline.
 6. The methodof claim 1, wherein the published activity, analysis, and attributecorrespond to at least one of a past time period, a current time period,and a future time period.
 7. The method of claim 1, comprising providingan indication of how the operator activity changes the attribute.
 8. Themethod of claim 7, wherein the indication includes a recommendation torespond to the changed attribute.
 9. The method of claim 8, wherein therecommendation is based on a deviation of the attribute and the operatoractivity.
 10. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having computerreadable instructions stored thereon that are executable by a processorto: monitor a building management system, a plurality of attributes ofthe building management system, and a plurality of operator activitiesassociated with the building management system; analyze information frommonitoring the building management system, the plurality of attributes,and the plurality of operator activities; indicate at least one of anaction, a warning, and a recommendation corresponding to the analyzedinformation.
 11. The medium of claim 10, wherein the instructions areexecutable by the processor to publish the analyzed information relatedto the building management system, the plurality of attributes, and theplurality of operator activities.
 12. The medium of claim 10, whereinthe published information and activities are published as at least oneof a video clip and an image.
 13. The medium of claim 10, wherein thepublished information and activities are published as at least one of anaudio, a link to a configuration page, and a chart.
 14. The medium ofclaim 10, wherein the analysis of the information, the plurality ofattributes, and the plurality of operator activities is based on anindication of a system activity.
 15. The medium of claim 14, wherein thesystem activity includes a change in at least one of a system behavior,a system trend, and a system response.
 16. A device for monitoring abuilding management system, comprising: a memory; and a processorconfigured to execute executable instructions stored in the memory to:monitor a plurality of attributes of a building management system;monitor a plurality of operator activities performed on the buildingmanagement system related to at least one of the plurality ofattributes; analyze the plurality of attributes and the plurality ofoperator activities, wherein the analysis includes chronologicallycorrelating the plurality of building attributes with the plurality ofoperator activities; and provide an indication of how the plurality ofoperator activities changes the plurality of attributes of the buildingsystem.
 17. The system of claim 16, wherein the indication includes arecommendation to respond to at least one of the plurality ofattributes.
 18. The system of claim 16, wherein the analysis is based ona process relationship in the building management system and acriticality of the at least one of the plurality of attributes.
 19. Thesystem of claim 18, wherein: the process relationship includes arelationship of the at least one attribute to another attribute in thebuilding management system; and the criticality defines an importance ofthe attribute.
 20. The system of claim 16, comprising instructionsexecutable by the processor to publish the plurality of operatoractivities in a chronological order on a displayed timeline panel.